The best online therapy for anxiety is a licensed therapist who uses CBT or exposure work and checks with you whether it is helping. Brightside fits if you might need medication as well as therapy, Talkiatry if you want a psychiatrist through insurance, Rula or Grow Therapy if you want to use insurance to see a therapist, NOCD if it is OCD, and Open Path Collective if money is tight. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US, right now.
It’s late. Your chest has been tight since dinner, your mind is running tomorrow’s meeting for the fortieth time, and you have six tabs open, each one promising a therapist within days.
I’m Figs O’Sullivan, a licensed marriage and family therapist. I spent seventeen years as a couples therapist in San Francisco, and I built Figlet, a coaching tool that is not therapy, so judge my bias accordingly. The prices below are what I found at the time of writing. They change often, so check each site before you sign up. If tonight you want to talk the loop through while you decide, Figlet Life Coaching is free to start. It is coaching, not treatment.
Which online therapy is best for my kind of anxiety?
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Talk it through with Figlet right now. Private, judgment free, built on 17 years of couples therapy.
Everyday worry and overthinking
If your mind won’t stop rehearsing but you are still getting to work, start with a licensed therapist who does CBT. Grow Therapy lets you choose your own therapist from a directory, filter for anxiety and CBT, and use many insurance plans. Online-Therapy.com gives you a structured, self-guided CBT program with a therapist alongside it. BetterHelp is about $70 to $100 a week, billed every four weeks, adults only, and gets you to a licensed therapist fast if you are paying cash.
Panic attacks
If your heart races, you can’t catch your breath, and you are sure something is badly wrong, see a doctor first to rule out the medical. Then find a licensed therapist who treats panic with CBT and exposure. Panic disorder belongs with licensed care.
Social anxiety
The dread before a party, the replay of everything you said on the drive home. Look for a therapist who will do gradual exposure with you, not just talk about it.
OCD
If the worry comes as intrusive thoughts and rituals you feel you must do, go to NOCD. It is built for OCD and uses ERP (exposure and response prevention). There is a free 15-minute intake call, the cash rate is about $240 for a 60-minute session, and it takes some insurance depending on your plan and state.
Anxiety with depression, or when you might need medication
Brightside pairs therapy and psychiatry. Self-pay is about $299 a month for therapy (four video sessions plus messaging), $95 a month for psychiatry, or $349 for both, it takes insurance, and it sees people from 13. Talkiatry is a psychiatry practice, so medication rather than weekly talk therapy, and it is in network with more than 100 insurers and lists anxiety among its specialties.
No insurance, or a tight budget
Open Path Collective charges a one-time $65 membership, then $40 to $70 a session for individual therapy in the US. If you do have insurance, Rula’s average copay is around $15 a session after your deductible. I walk through how to check your plan in online therapy that takes insurance.
Anxiety that is really about your relationship
Some anxiety only lives in one place: the text that doesn’t come back, the look across the kitchen, the 2 a.m. loop about what the pause meant. That is your attachment system asking two questions it never says out loud. Are you there for me? Am I enough? A therapist can help, and so can couples work. If you want to start on your own tonight, Figlet relationship coaching works even if your partner won’t come. If your body is doing most of the talking, read the physical symptoms of relationship anxiety.
Coaching, for everyday worry
Last, and I built this one: Figlet Life Coaching. It is coaching for everyday worry and relationship-driven anxiety, and it is not treatment for an anxiety disorder. Coaching is how we go from where you are now to where you want to go, and we only address the past when it shows up in the present. Your first ten messages are free.
How do the options compare?
| Option | Best for | Cost at time of writing | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brightside | Therapy plus medication, ages 13+ | About $299/month therapy, $95 psychiatry, $349 both | Yes |
| Talkiatry | Psychiatry and medication | Check site | In network with 100+ insurers |
| Rula | Therapy through insurance | Average copay around $15 after deductible | Yes |
| Grow Therapy | Choosing your own therapist | Set by each provider | Many plans |
| NOCD | OCD, with ERP | About $240 per 60-minute session; free 15-minute intake | Some plans, by state |
| Online-Therapy.com | Structured self-guided CBT with a therapist | Check site | Check site |
| BetterHelp | Fast start, paying cash, adults | About $70 to $100 a week, billed every four weeks | In network with some plans; check yours |
| Open Path Collective | Low cost, US | $65 once, then $40 to $70 a session | No; a low-cost cash option |
| Figlet Life Coaching | Everyday worry, relationship anxiety; coaching, not treatment | First ten messages free | No |
What kind of therapy actually works for anxiety?
CBT is the most researched talk therapy for anxiety. It helps you test the catastrophic forecast and stop avoiding what scares you. A 2016 review in American Family Physician found that therapist-supported online CBT produced no significant difference in anxiety outcomes compared with face-to-face CBT, though the evidence was rated low to moderate quality. The phrase that matters there is therapist-supported.
I’d add what seventeen years in the room taught me. Anxiety is not a character flaw. It is an alarm. Your body keeps a record of everything that has happened to you, and some entries never got completed. They stay open and keep broadcasting that something isn’t settled. That’s what anxiety is, to me: an open entry. Your mind tries to manage the broadcast by running scenarios. That is overthinking, and it is a protector part. One of mine I call the Alaska Man. When the shame gets big enough, he whispers that I should pack a small bag, move to Alaska, bag groceries in a little fishing village and disappear. He is a story my mind writes so I don’t have to feel the not-enoughness underneath.
And the alarm is old. In 58,221 completed relationship assessments at Empathi, 33% of people named alone as their deepest feeling when love isn’t working. On the savanna, being cut off from your people meant death, and that circuitry is still installed. So a good therapist does two things at once: teaches you the skills, and is a nervous system that stays with yours while you feel it. If your loop circles one person, read how to stop overthinking in a relationship.
Why won’t success, or a better plan, make it go away?
A couple sat on my couch once, unable to enjoy what should have been the best month of their lives. The husband, a brilliant software founder, had just closed a funding round that secured his financial future. He sat rigidly on the edge of the sofa, vibrating with anxiety, itemizing every disaster that could destroy his company. His wife sat at the far end, staring at the floor in exhaustion, asking why his biggest win felt like losing him all over again.
His nervous system wasn’t measuring achievement. It was measuring safety. He had learned early that his worth depended on his output, so every victory just raised the standard he had to hold. You can’t fix that by treating your anxious mind like a restructuring project. Pick a therapist who works with the body, not only the to-do list in your head.
How do I choose a therapist for anxiety?
Ask two questions in the first conversation. “Do you use CBT or exposure for anxiety?” and “How will we measure whether this is working?” A good answer names a method and a way to track it.
The first sessions are mostly questions: what the anxiety looks like, when it started, how you sleep, what you want to be different. You should leave feeling a little more met than when you walked in. The platform is a delivery system. What you are buying is a person.
Red flags: a therapist who only listens, week after week, with no plan; anyone who promises to cure you fast; anyone who brushes off your question about medication. If after a handful of sessions you still feel like a stranger in the room, ask for someone else. You are allowed to be picky about who gets to see you.
When is online therapy not the right choice?
If you are thinking about suicide or you are not safe right now, call or text 988 tonight. Messaging therapy is not built for emergencies. If you can’t sleep or work, or the panic won’t come down, you need a licensed clinician, sometimes in person. Controlled medications may require an in-person visit. Panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, and anything that needs medication belong with licensed care, not with a coach or an app. And if someone at home is hitting you, threatening you, blocking the door, controlling your money or your phone, or following you, that is not anxiety to work on in an app. Get help today. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
What can I do tonight?
When you catch yourself looping in bed, put a hand wherever it’s tightest, your chest or your belly. Say the feeling quietly, in one word: scared, sad, ashamed. Not the story. Just the word. Then breathe into your hand three times. You’re keeping the feeling company, so the thoughts don’t have to.
Then book one first conversation this week and say this, word for word: “I want help with my anxiety. Do you use CBT or exposure, and how will we know if it’s working?”
What if it’s someone I love who’s anxious?
Don’t send them this list. Their alarm is asking whether you are there. Sit beside them and say, “I can see this is really hard. Do you want me to stay while you book?” Then stay.
Where to go from here
If you want the wider field beyond anxiety, including Talkspace, read my guide to the best online therapy. If your anxiety is everyday worry rather than a disorder, and you want help tonight while you wait for a match, I built Figlet for that. It is a coaching tool, not therapy. You tell it what happened, it shows you the pattern you are caught in, and it gives you one line to say. Start Figlet Life Coaching free tonight.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get treated for anxiety online?
Yes. Licensed therapists and psychiatrists treat anxiety by video, and services like Brightside and Talkiatry can include medication. A crisis needs 988, not an app.
Is online therapy effective for anxiety?
For most people, yes. A 2016 American Family Physician review found therapist-supported online CBT worked about as well as face-to-face CBT for anxiety, though the evidence was low to moderate quality. Therapist support is the part that matters.
What is the most effective therapy for anxiety?
CBT is the most researched talk therapy for anxiety, and exposure is central to it. For OCD, the specific treatment is ERP.
Does insurance cover online anxiety therapy?
Often, yes. Rula, Grow Therapy, Brightside and Talkiatry work with insurance, and NOCD takes some plans depending on your state. Call the number on your card and ask about your telehealth copay.
Who should not use online therapy?
Anyone in crisis or thinking about suicide should call or text 988 first. People with severe symptoms, who can’t keep themselves safe, or who need controlled medication or close monitoring are usually better served in person.
Can you self treat anxiety?
You can do a lot for everyday worry: ground in your body, name the feeling, tell someone you trust. If the anxiety is constant, or getting in the way of work, sleep or relationships, get it assessed by a licensed clinician.
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Trying to rebuild trust between you?
Figlet is relationship coaching built on 17 years of couples therapy. Talk through what is happening the moment it matters, get a clear next step, and stop circling the same fight. Private, judgment free, ready whenever you are.
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Figs O'Sullivan
Founder · EFT couples therapist
“What I would tell you at 10pm, if I could.”
